Saturday, 11 February 2012

TORONTO, February 10, 2012 /Canada NewsWire/ - Former Toronto Maple Leafs Captain Mats Sundin announced today he will establish an elite scientific exchange program in the field of developmental health between the University of Toronto and Karolinska Insitutet in Stockholm, Sweden.

Sundin's gift - one-third of $1 million dollars - was announced today at a press conference at U of T. The gift will support two fellowships at world-renowned labs in Toronto and Stockholm where scientists are probing how maternal health and our earliest life experiences can determine sickness, health, learning ability and overall well-being down the road.

"We all want our children to grow up healthy, with the best opportunities to learn and live free of disease, but how do we make that possible? What can we do to give our kids the best shot at reaching their full potential?" said Sundin. "By establishing this program at U of T and KI, we're creating an Olympic training camp for our brightest young minds to work with global leaders and answer these challenging questions."

"Every player knows we have a responsibility to pass on our skills and knowledge to the next generation - that's how the sport moves forward, and science as well," Sundin added. "It means so much to me to be able to support these two great universities and their incredible drive to find the breakthroughs that can change our lives."

Historically, genetics were thought to be the sole factor in determining whether a child would grow up to be a healthy, well-functioning adult. Now, scientists are realizing that the interaction between genes and the environment is critical. Teams at U of T and KI are leading the global charge to figure out what environmental factors - from breast-feeding to stress to nutrition - might impact the way a person's genes are expressed, effectively determining their well-being from the early years to later on in life.

"It is becoming increasingly clear that the early environment of the fetus and infant can have major influences on susceptibility to developing cardiovascular, metabolic and mental health disorders in later life, not to mention on learning and social functioning," said Dr. Stephen Matthews, Professor of Physiology, Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Medicine at U of T. "These elite research fellows will help us advance our understanding of this complex relationship and assist in our efforts to build trajectories towards health and away from disease."

The Mats Sundin Award in Medicine will establish two post-doctoral fellowships in developmental biology - one at U of T and one at KI. The fellows will be chosen from a highly-competitive pool of researchers at each institution, and starting in September 2012, they will travel to their partner institution for a year of research under the direction of world-leading scientists in the field. At U of T, Dr. Matthews and Dr. Stephen Lye, a Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Physiology, will lead the program. Dr. Ola Hermanson, Associate Professor in Molecular Neurodevelopment, will lead the program at KI.

"Research that is happening right now at U of T and Karolinska Institutet is resulting in unprecedented opportunities to pre-empt, regulate and even eradicate some of the world's most common illnesses," said U of T President David Naylor. "By establishing these fellowships, Mats Sundin is helping us mobilize the power of our respective research towards areas that intrinsically shape the human condition."

"Karolinska Institutet is very proud to receive this gift. It is our clear goal to promote interactions like this and make the future even brighter for true young ambitious talents in science," said KI President Harriet Wallberg-Henriksson. "The support from Mats Sundin is a great step to improve the already fruitful collaboration between KI and U of T."

The fellowships build on a long and successful exchange program between U of T and Karolinska Institutet dating back to 1996. The exchange program leverages the very best research themes from both institutions to train and develop students into future scientific and medical leaders, with a particular focus on maternal-infant health, neurodevelopment and regenerative medicine.

Wednesday, 1 February 2012

TORONTO, January 31, 2012 /Canada NewsWire/ - The Town of Milton made a landmark decision at last night's municipal council meeting to build a permanent velodrome at the Milton Education Village for the Toronto 2015 Pan/Parapan American Games.

"On behalf of TO2015, we would like to thank the Town of Milton for making this velodrome a reality," says Ian Troop, Chief Executive Officer, Toronto 2015 Pan/Parapan Am Games Organizing Committee (TO2015). "This is the result of sound deliberation and an appreciation for the potential associated with a permanent velodrome."

This legacy cycling centre also includes an infield that could support other recreational activities such as basketball, volleyball or badminton.

"This is a great day for cycling and amateur sport in Canada," said Olympian Curt Harnett. "This will result in a world-class facility that will make Milton a cycling hub for the surrounding community, the province and eastern Canada."

TO2015 looks forward to working with Town of Milton and the Organizing Committee's partners to build a velodrome that will attract the best athletes from the Americas in 2015 and leave a lasting sport legacy.

About the Toronto 2015 Pan/Parapan American Games

The Pan and Parapan American Games are one of the world's largest international multi-sport events, held every four years for athletes of the 41 member nations of the Pan American Sports Organization (PASO). The Toronto 2015 Pan and Parapan American Games will draw 10,000 athletes and officials and feature 48 sports in 17 municipalities across the Greater Golden Horseshoe area. The Toronto 2015 Pan American Games will take place July 10-26 and the Parapan American Games August 7-14.

Welcome!

With almost 3,000 members, the Guelph Wellington Seniors Association is one of the largest organizations of its kind in Canada. We have a straightforward mission..."To empower older adults to be active, to be involved and to age successfully."

We are a non-profit, registered charity. The GWSA partners with the City of Guelph in the operation of the Evergreen Seniors Community Centre, a state-of-the-art recreation facility.

The GWSA also operates in other locations such as the West End Community Centre, St. Paul's Lutheran Church and, in the not-too-distant future, will be a key Partner with the City in the design and use of the new South End Community Centre.

GWSA makes available some 90 organized programs, activities and services throughout the year as well as special events and public interest forums.

We are supported by the active participation of the more than 500 volunteers who make it all possible.

GWSA Golf Group

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GWSA Golf Group

If you are looking to play golf with fun loving golfers, then the Evergreen Seniors Golf group is the place for you.

Membership in the group provides an opportunity to play non-competitive golf at a variety of local courses at a discounted rate. The Evergreen Seniors Golf group plays every Monday, from the first Monday of May through to the last Monday of September. The golf season for our group concludes with a nine hole scramble and luncheon. A mini golf vacation to Niagara Falls in September is also available to members.

This is an all-inclusive club for seniors with many lady members, some husband and wife teams, some golfers that play nine holes and others that play eighteen. If you are a beginner, an average duffer or better golfer, you will enjoy the relaxed and fun atmosphere of this club.

All you need to do is be a registered member of the Guelph Wellington Seniors Association and pay a modest fee to join the golf group - for 2013, the fee is $10 + HST.